The chief editor of Indonesia’s oldest English daily has been accused of blasphemy after the paper published an anti-Islamic State cartoon. The editor denies any wrongdoing and is “amazed” at the accusations, spurred by complaints from Islamic groups.

Meidyatama
Suryodiningrat, editor-in-chief of the Jakarta Post, is to be
questioned by law enforcers next week, according to Jakarta
police representative Colonel Rikwanto, reports AP. If the police
decide to hand over the case to prosecutors, Suryodiningrat could
face up to five years in prison, said Rikwanto.

The cartoon, published in early July, depicts an Islamic State
(IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militant raising a flag adorned with
phrases sacred to Islam, including "La Ilaaha Illallah,"
meaning “there is none worthy of worship except Allah,”
atop a skull and crossbones.

Days after the publication, the Post issued an apology and
retracted the cartoon, in response to reproach from outraged
Islamic groups.

"The cartoon contained religious symbolism that may have been
offensive," the Post wrote in its apology. "The Post
regrets the error in judgment, which was in no way meant to
malign or be disrespectful of any religion."

However, the groups continued to press for police action, and
Suryodiningrat was officially named a suspect in the
investigation on Thursday.

In a statement released on Thursday evening, Suryodiningrat
defended the cartoon as a legitimate criticism of IS, the
militant and fanatical group responsible for mass carnage
throughout Iraq and Syria in their quest to create a caliphate.

“We are amazed because the fact is we did not commit a
criminal act as accused. What we produced was a journalistic
piece that criticized the ISIS movement, which has carried out
violence in the name of religion,” he wrote.

“It means that the ISIS caricature was not blasphemous. We
all know that ISIS is an organization that is banned in Indonesia
and across almost the entire world."

He also suggested that instead of a criminal case, the issue be
reviewed by Indonesia’s Press Council, a government-sanctioned
media regulatory body.

The Press Council has come out in support of the Post and agreed
that the matter should be looked into by their board, saying
“the case was merely related to journalism’s code of ethics
and so was not a criminal matter."

Indonesia’s blasphemy laws have come under fire from rights
groups who decry them as repressive and outdated. Last month,
Amnesty International called on newly elected President Joko
Widodo to abolish the laws, citing the large number of those
imprisoned for violating the regulations under his predecessor.

The law which has been in effect since 1965, was rarely used
until former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took power in
2004.

Since 2004, Amnesty reports that over 100 individuals have been
convicted under the law.